New Delhi, January 15

Army Chief Gen M M Naravane on Wednesday hailed the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 as a “historic step” and said the move had disrupted plans of the “western neighbour and its proxies”, in a clear reference to Pakistan.

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The armed forces have “zero tolerance against terrorism”, he said at the 72nd Army Day function held at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment. “We have many options to counter those who promote terrorism and we will not hesitate to use them,” he said.

On August 5 last year, the Centre abrogated provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, both of which officially came into being on October 31.

“The abrogation of Article 370 is a historic step. It will prove to be important in integrating Jammu and Kashmir in the national mainstream. This decision has disrupted the plans of our western neighbour and its proxies,” the Army chief said.

General Naravane said the country had to face some security challenges last year.

“Not only did it counter proxy war but also other situations. Whether it is the LoC or LAC, we have ensured security with activeness and strength,” he said, adding that the situation at the northern borders (China border) is relatively peaceful.

The Army Chief said the situation along the LoC is linked to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. “Today, we remember those who have made ultimate sacrifice for the country. It will keep inspiring the coming generations,” he said.

Mentioning his visit to Siachen last week, he said he was extremely happy to see all the ranks brimming with confidence at the post. “In the last few days, some of our soldiers achieved martyrdom due to avalanche. We will always remember their sacrifice,” he noted.

On the insurgency in the Northeast, he said the Army and the Assam Rifles had worked together and “the situation has improved a lot” in the region. Attending the Army Day parade for the first time as the Army Chief, he also said the “forces’ eyes are also on the future warfare” and the planned Indian Army’s Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) was an important step to face challenges that might come up later. He said the Army’s “niche capabilities” were also being enhanced.

The Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year to mark Lt Gen K M Cariappa taking over as commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949 from General Francis Bucher, the last British commander-in-chief of India.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and were also present on the occasion. Before arriving at the parade ground, the three services chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff paid homage to martyrs at the National War Memorial.

Last year, the Army especially focused on the next of kin of the defence personnel so that the jawans could focus on their primary jobs, Naravane said, adding that the “next of kin of jawans will always be on our priorities”.

Captain Tania Shergill, the first woman Parade Adjutant, led all-men contingents during the parade, drawing praise from senior officers and loud cheers from the audience. — PTI

Chandigarh, January 16

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday came to rescue of international boxer Simranjit Kaur, who is jobless and finding it hard to feed her family.

“Don’t worry about anything, just focus on the upcoming Olympics,” Amarinder Singh tweeted.

“I have directed Secretary, Sports to immediately look into what needs to be done. Also I would like to thank all on Social Media & the media who highlighted the issue,” he added.

The world championship medalist has qualified for Tokyo2020 and is India’s hope for a medal.

A bronze medallist at the 2018 World Championship and silver medallist at the 2019 Asian Championship, Simranjit, 24, hails from Ludhiana’s Chakar village.

Her father, who worked at a grocery store, died in 2018 due to a heart failure. — IANS

Washington, January 16

Donald Trump once left Prime Minister Narendra Modi flabbergasted after he told him that India and China didn’t share a border, revealing the US President’s “woefully” poor knowledge of geography, according to a new book authored by two Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalists.

The 417-page book, ‘A Very Stable Genius’, written by Philip Rucker and Carol D Leonnig, detailed similar vivid incidents from Trump’s tumultuous first three years as President, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The businessman-turned-politician won the US presidential election in 2016 and assumed the position on January 20, 2017.

The book claimed that during one of his meetings with Modi, Trump told him, “It’s not like you’ve got China on your border.” However, the Washington Post report did not mention the year in which Trump made this gaffe.

After Trump bungled his India-China geography, the authors, both Post reporters, claimed that “Modi’s eyes bulged out in surprise” and his “expression gradually shifted from shock and concern to resignation”.

The two reporters were part of the team that won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on Trump and Russia.

The book quoted a Trump aide as saying that Modi probably “left that meeting and said, ‘This is not a serious man. I cannot count on this man as a partner’”.

“After the meeting,” the aide told the authors, “the Indians took a step back in their diplomatic relations with the US”.

India and China have an unresolved border dispute that covers the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control.

Modi and Trump, who have developed a personal rapport, met four times in 2019, including their joint appearance at the historic ‘Howdy Modi!’ event in Houston.       They spoke over phone at least twice last year.

During his visit to the US in September last year, Modi once again extended his invitation to President Trump to visit India along with his family. PTI

United Nations/Islamabad, January 16

India has slammed Pakistan for repeatedly trying to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council with China’s help where it failed again to find any support, with New Delhi asserting that Islamabad needs to focus on the “hard tasks” it has to address to ensure normal bilateral ties.

China, Pakistan’s ‘all-weather ally’, on Wednesday stood alone in the Pakistani corner to get the Security Council to focus on the Kashmir issue.

The latest attempt failed as other countries of the 15-member council felt Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.

Earlier, China made the fresh pitch to raise the Kashmir issue under “other matters” during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room.

“We once again saw an effort made by one member state of the UN, fail in plain view of all others,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said.

“We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today,” Akbaruddin told PTI.

“We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India,” he said.

A European source, heading into the UNSC meeting, described the discussions on Kashmir during the closed consultations to be “low key.”

A top European diplomat said the issue should be resolved bilaterally and it was a “domestic affair”.

Akbaruddin further said, “Pakistan’s practice of using false pretences to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course. We hope that Pakistan pays heed to the clear signals sent out here today and focuses on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India.”

Coming out of the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said: “We had a meeting on Jammu and Kashmir. And I’m sure you all know that Foreign Minister of Pakistan wrote letters to the Security Council asking it to pay attention to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The issue of India and Pakistan has always been on the agenda of the Security Council and today we have also seen some tensions, so the Security Council had a briefing and (it) heard at the briefing from the Secretariat concerning the current situation on the ground. Members exchanged views on that.” Zhang later said China has stated its “position very clearly. We remain concerned about the situation on the ground (in Kashmir)”.

When asked if the meeting advanced anything, he said: “I am sure the meeting will help both the parties to understand the risk of further escalation and will encourage them to approach each other and have a dialogue and seek solutions through dialogue. I think that will be helpful.”

The current move by China was the third such attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the UNSC since August last when the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped by the government, and the state was bifurcated into two union territories.

In August, China pushed for a UNSC meeting on Kashmir. However, the meeting did not yield desired results for China as the member-states maintained that India’s move was an internal issue.

Last month, France, the US, the UK and Russia foiled an attempt by China to discuss Kashmir at a closed-door meeting of the UNSC.

China has criticised New Delhi for making Ladakh a union territory. China lays claim over several parts of Ladakh.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday welcomed the UNSC meeting on Kashmir and claimed that the issue was an internationally recognised dispute that remains on the agenda of the international body.

“An internationally recognised dispute, Jammu and Kashmir remains on the Security Council’s agenda and its consideration by the Council reflects a recognition of the seriousness of the prevailing situation,” Khan said.

He said the issue “must be resolved in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people”.

“We will continue to provide moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people until they secure their inalienable right to self-determination,” he added.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed that the UN has confirmed during its meeting on Kashmir that India’s action of scrapping Jammu and Kashmir’s special status has increased tension in the region.

Interacting with mediapersons in New York, Qureshi said at the request of Pakistan and with the support of China, the Security Council considered the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a statement released by the Foreign Office in Islamabad.

“In the closed meeting of the Council, representatives of the UN and the UNMOGIP briefed the participants. The UN in its briefing confirmed that India’s August 5 measures resulted in the rise of tensions and that the ‘local situation’ remains tense,” Qureshi said.

India maintains that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), established in January 1949, has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control.

The UNSC is “monitoring the situation”, said Qureshi, who is on a three-day visit to the US as part of Pakistan’s efforts to defuse the tensions between the US and Iran. — PTI

New Delhi, January 16

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Thursday pitched for strong global action against states sponsoring terrorism, saying there is a need to take the bull by its horns and strike at the root cause.

In an address at the Raisina Dialogue, Gen Rawat said there is a need to take a hardline approach in dealing with terrorism, the way the US went after terror groups after the 9/11 terror attacks.

“As long as there are states which sponsor terrorism, we will have to live with the menace. We need to take the bull by its horns and strike at the root cause,” he said in an oblique reference to Pakistan.

“If we think war on terrorism is going to end, we are wrong,” Gen Rawat said.

He said the countries which are sponsoring terrorism could not be part of global fight against terror networks. “You cannot have partners who are partnering global war on terrorism and yet sponsoring terrorism…There has to be diplomatic isolation of those sponsoring terrorism. Any country which is sponsoring terrorism has to be taken to task,” he said.

On containing radicalisation, the Chief of Defence Staff said it could be checked if right persons were targeted, adding that there was a need to confront the “ideology of radicalisation”.

Asked whether he supported negotiations with the Taliban, he said peace talks should be initiated with everybody provided they gave up the “weapon of terrorism”. PTI

Srinagar, January 16

Police on Thursday said it averted a major attack ahead of Republic Day by busting a module of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit in Srinagar and arresting five of its operatives.

It said huge explosive material has been recovered from the five terror operatives.

“In a major success, the Srinagar Police busts Jaish module. Two grenade blasts in Hazratbal area worked out. Major attack averted ahead of Republic Day,” Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a tweet.

“Those arrested are Aijaz Ahmed Sheikh of Sadarbal Hazratbal, Umar Hameed Sheikh of Asaar Colony Hazratbal, Imtiyaz Ahmed Chikla @ Imran of Asaar Colony Hazaratbal, Sahil Farooq Gojri of Ellahibagh Soura and Naseer Ahmed Mir of Sadarbal Hazratbal,” it added.

Based on their disclosures certain searches were made in Srinagar city leading to huge recovery of incriminating material, including gelatine sticks, explosives, detonators, arms, explosive body vests, batteries, nitric acid, etc., police said.

New Delhi, January 16

India will invite Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan along with other leaders for the annual meeting of council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation later this year, officials said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said all eight member countries, four observers and dialogue partners of the grouping will be invited for the meeting.

“The meeting is held annually at the prime minister’s level and it discusses the SCO’s programme and multilateral economic and trade cooperation,” he said at a media briefing.

For the first time, India will host the annual meeting of the council of heads of government of the SCO

“As per the established practice and procedure within SCO, all 8 members of SCO, as well as 4 observer states and other international dialogue partners will be invited to attend the meeting,” Kumar said when asked whether Pakistan Prime Minister Khan will be sent an invitation to the meeting.

When asked specifically whether Khan will be invited, another official said, “yes”.

For the first time, India will host the annual meeting of the council of heads of government of the SCO, the bloc’s Secretary General Vladimir Norov said on Monday.

The government’s announcement on inviting Pakistan to the mega event came in the midst of frayed ties between the two countries over India’s withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories.

India and Pakistan became full members of the China-dominated grouping in 2017.

Usually, the heads of government meeting of the SCO are represented by foreign ministers while a number of countries send their prime ministers also.

India has always been represented by the external affairs minister in the heads of government meeting while the SCO heads of state summit is attended by the prime minister.

Kumar said the event will be preceded by a number of meetings in India including one of the SCO ministers of economic activities.

India was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its members last year. — PTI

Gurmeet Kanwal
Former Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi

The new Indian Army Chief, General MM Naravane, has said the Army would act on government orders to take back PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Gilgit and Baltistan) if such instructions were received. In order to achieve such an objective, the Indian Army, among the most battle-hardened in the world, must gradually shake off its defensive orientation and transform itself into a modern fighting force that is ready to act proactively and undertake large-scale offensive operations if necessary.

While future threats and challenges, as well as vulnerabilities, will increase steadily and become more complex and diverse, many of the weapons and equipment in service with the Army are either obsolete or bordering on obsolescence. Also, the current state of defence preparedness leaves much to be desired, particularly large-scale shortages in the stock levels of tank and gun ammunition.

Besides, the need to transform the army into a ‘light, lethal and wired’ force in consonance with developments in weapons technology (including the exploitation of offensive cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and killer robots — unmanned or autonomous combat vehicles), the Army’s preparation for the future will be influenced by the changes in the strategic environment. In this era of strategic uncertainty, the character of conflict is constantly changing and evolving. From the state versus state conventional conflict — mainly for territorial gains — the pendulum is gradually swinging towards sub-conventional conflict between the states and disaffected non-state actors.

Blurring the distinction between the state of war and peace, non-military means are being increasingly employed to achieve political and strategic goals in the ‘hybrid’ conflicts of the 21st century. Consequently, the force transformation trend-line among the modern armies is to move from threat-based forces that were designed to meet known threats to capability-based forces that provide a set of capabilities to deal with a range of unexpected situations; for example, a rapid reaction division with air assault and amphibious capabilities. Similarly, the Army’s warfighting doctrine needs to be reviewed and the training regimes re-configured to train officers and other ranks to face certainty (predictable threats) and to educate them to face uncertainty (unforeseen challenges).

There is a very high probability that the next major land conflict on the Indian sub-continent will again break out in the mountains because that is where the unresolved territorial disputes lie. As it is not in India’s interest to enlarge a conflict with Pakistan to the plains sector south of Ravi river due to the possibility of escalation to nuclear exchanges, there is a fairly high probability that the next conflict, having broken out in the mountains, will remain confined to mountainous terrain. While the three strike corps are necessary for conventional deterrence and have served their purpose well, the Army must enhance its capability to launch offensive operations to deter and, if necessary, fight and win future wars in the mountains.

A strategic defensive posture runs the risk of losing some territory to the adversary if capabilities do not exist to seize large portions of the adversary’s territory to stabilise the situation. The first requirement is to upgrade India’s military strategy of dissuasion and deterrence by denial against China to that of credible conventional and nuclear deterrence by punishment and pro-active border management. Genuine deterrence can come only from the ability to take the fight deep into the adversary’s territory by launching major offensive operations.

To achieve this objective, it is necessary to raise and position one additional mountain Strike Corps in J&K for offensive operations against both China and Pakistan, besides 17 Corps that has been raised for operations in the North-East against China. In addition, as a Strike Corps can be employed only in one particular sector and cannot be easily redeployed in the mountains, the defensive (ground-holding) corps must be provided limited capability to launch offensive operations with integral resources.

As deep manoeuvre is not possible in a mountainous terrain and is not advisable in the plains against Pakistan due to the risk of escalation to nuclear exchanges, it is necessary to substantially upgrade the capability of the Army to inflict punishment and indeed achieve victory through the orchestration of overwhelming firepower. Unless firepower capabilities are upgraded by an order of magnitude, India will have to be content with a stalemate. The required capabilities include conventionally-armed short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) to attack high-value targets deep inside the adversary’s territory. Air-to-ground and helicopter-to-ground attack capabilities need to be modernised, particularly those enabling deep-ground penetration and accurate night strikes. Artillery rockets, guns and mortars must also be modernised. Lighter and more mobile equipment is required so that these can be rapidly moved and deployed in the neighbouring sectors. India’s holdings of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) must go up progressively to at least 20 to 30 per cent of the total ammunition in order to achieve high levels of operational asymmetries.

India’s increasing responsibilities as a net provider of security in the Indo-Pacific region will require the creation of tri-service capabilities for military intervention singly or in conjunction with its strategic partners. Two rapid reaction-cum-air assault divisions (with an amphibious brigade each) need to be raised over the 2020-30 time frame for employment during conventional operations as well as for military intervention if India’s vital national interests in the Indo-Pacific are threatened.

The expenditure on these divisions and other capacity-building initiatives outlined here will undoubtedly be highly capital-intensive and, therefore, require substantially higher budgetary support. At about 1.5 per cent of the GDP, this year’s defence budget is the lowest since the 1962 war with China. The defence budget must be gradually raised to 2.0 to 2.5 per cent of India’s GDP if the country is to maintain an Army that it needs. The weapons and equipment acquisition process must also be streamlined. Only then will the Indian Army be able to undertake the transformation necessary to deter future wars and, if necessary, fight and win.